Women 'try to smuggle corpse on plane'

Two women have been arrested after allegedly trying to smuggle the dead body of a relative on to a flight from Liverpool to Germany on Saturday.

The widow and stepdaughter of 91-year-old Curt Willi Jarant have claimed that they thought he was only asleep when they tried to check in at John Lennon Airport, The Guardian reports.

Airport worker Andrew Millea said: "When the family pulled up in a minibus-style taxi, the older lady told me assistance was needed for her elderly father, who was sat in the front seat of the cab.

"She told me that he was elderly and frail, and also very tired, so I would have to lift him out of the taxi and into the wheelchair. I immediately felt unsure about the situation, but I did my best to help by carefully lifting the man from his seat."

He claimed that he told airport security about his concerns, after which they checked the man's pulse. He added: "We had to remove the family from the queue and took the man to a side room, where our first aid staff confirmed he was dead."

The man's widow Gitta, 66 and stepdaughter Anke Anusic, 41 - German nationals who live in Oldham - have been released on bail until June 1.

A statement from Greater Manchester police confirmed: "Police at Liverpool John Lennon Airport were alerted to the death of a 91-year-old man in the terminal building. Two women aged 41 and 66 were arrested on suspicion of failing to give notification of death."

Inquiries are ongoing as to whether the women were hoping to avoid the costs and procedure of repatriating the body of their late relative.